Invaluable part of my ND training

I first met Dr. Paul Epstein just prior to beginning my fourth and final year of naturopathic medical school.  My journey through medical school had been one of many ups and downs with multiple challenges and tests thrown my way.  The year prior to meeting Dr. Epstein was a particularly trying one as I ended a long-term relationship and lost a very important soul in my life to illness.  

When I met Dr. Epstein I was in a place of sorrow and running from life as if I was being chased.  It was common for me to fall into my typical self-destructive patterns of overachievement, self-criticism and self-doubt, of which I was deeply in the midst of at the time.  

Meeting Dr. Epstein was a breath of fresh air for me from the very beginning.  He offered me a type of educational experience that my school’s curriculum was sorely lacking.  He also offered me a safe place and space to share and begin to feel comfortable in my own skin.  I learned quite early on that being “me” was not something that I had to analyze, change, or fix which was something that no one else had ever helped me to understand.  

Over time my patterns began to change as I gave myself the space to heal.  I also began to notice wonderful things with my patients once I learned to be more centered in myself.  My patients began to respond to me in a different way, to trust me more, and to confide in me about details of their lives that ended up being an integral part of their healing journeys.  

The lessons I learned from Dr. Epstein were invaluable in my training as a naturopathic doctor.  At my graduation ceremony this year I received a wonderful gift when I was given the award for “Clinical Excellence”.  I truly believe that without Dr. Epstein’s guidance I could not have achieved this accomplishment and I feel blessed to have met him when I did.

K.O.
Practicing Naturopathic Physician